Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute.
REDD-plus and Forest-DRR Research and Development Center.

Background

REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries; and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries) is identified as one of the most effective means to reduce GHG emissions in the post-Kyoto climate change negotiation. A reliable and credible system of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of forest carbon changes is a cornerstone of any national REDD+.

The MRV system should fullfill international requirements and also take account of countries' specific conditions, e.g. vegetation, economy, culture, institutional issues and/or drivers of deforestation/forest degradation. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI) and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) have a rich experience in forest monitoring and assessment of deforestation. With their accumulated expertise, the two institutes had worked on a collaborative project to develop a forest carbon change MRV system that can be implemented in REDD+ in Malaysia.

Programme

Summary

The objectives of this training workshop were to share, learn, and discuss the latest findings of REDD+ project implemented by FRIM and FFPRI in Peninsular Malaysia and to identify and adapt findings from the project, that is related to REDD+ in Malaysia. In this training workshop, participants had a hands-on tutorial on the methodology of collecting data and information on MRV.

The participants were divided into three groups of different focus areas: remote sensing, biomass, and socio-economic. The remote sensing group focused on a data collection using plotless sampling techniques. The plotless sampling relies on the use of prism with a specific basal area factor (BAF). In this training, the participants used BAF2 and 4 in estimating forest carbon and biomass. Meanwhile, the biomass group focused on the monitoring of biomass and carbon stocks using permanent sample plots. The participants, through field activities, had an opportunity to build a sample plot using the latest handheld laser equipment to collect the needed data.

All collected data were then analyzed by the participants using a calculation tool developed by the project. The socio-economic group, on the other hand, carried out a field survey to collect information from the target groups in local communities.

Lastly, the participants analyzed the collected data gained through the field activities to present their output.

Manuals